Queens Park Rangers captain Joey Barton has taken to Twitter to apologise for failing to show remorse for his actions that resulted in a red card during his side's crucial fixture against Manchester City yesterday.

The former Newcastle United midfielder had a moment of madness during QPR's 3-2 defeat to the newly-crowned Premier League champions by appearing to elbow Carlos Tevez in the chin before kneeing Sergio Aguero in the back after being dismissed by the referee.

Barton's attempt to defend his actions sparked a tirade of abuse towards the 29-year-old.

"Right enough about yesterday, I apologise to everyone offended by it," Barton wrote on Twitter. "If that's not enough for some, so be it. Life is too short. Things happen on the pitch, in the heat of battle sometimes. Not how we always plan them to happen."

The R's were successful in their bid to stay in the Premier League following Bolton Wanderers' 2-2 draw with Stoke City yesterday.